
Glass. 
Book_ 



ifc 







alisbury'5 Earliest 5(^ttl(^rs 



BY 



JOHN Q. EVANS. 



A paper read at a meeting of the Town Improvement 
►cietv held at Salisbury, Mass., June 17, 1896. 



EE-PUBLISHED FROM THE AMESEURl NEWS. 



Amesbury. 

C. S. Morse, Printer. 

1S96. 



OCT 35 m 




^^' 






^> 



Salisbury's Eatliest Settlers. 



BY JOHN O. EVANS. 



In extending a welcome to yovu" 
association upon this visit to the old 
town of Salisbury, a town indeed 
rich in treasure to the historian, and 
of whose history we as common de- 
scendents of the first settlers may 
well be proud, it becomes my pleas- 
ant duty to briefly turn the pages of 
a itew of the first years of her history. 
trusting that, though I may add but 
little to what is already familiar to 
you, I may yet present more concise- 
ly the conditions under which the 
new settlement was placed when in 
its infancy, the stiaiggle to maintain 
a foothold in the wilderness made for 
these hardy pioneers — a life which 
must have been terribly in earnest, 
aijid which will in part account for 
tlreir seeming arbitrary rule over their 
people by the governing authorities. 



IS my purpose to trace briefly of 
le settlement of the old plantation 
oJI Merrimac, of its early settlers and 
f the growth of the town during the 
rst sixty years following its incoi* 
oration, a period extending down 

tlie time of Qiieen Anne's war, 
hen the horrors of Indian barbari- 
es spread terror among the settlers 

the province. 

With the settlement of the Massa- 
cl msetts Bay colony at Salem and the 



large Influx of immigrants, the bounds 
of the colony were being continuallv 
extended. To the south, where they 
soon met the bounds of the Plymouth 
colony, and north that they might 
gain possession of all possible terri- 
tory in that direction. Who was the 
first settler on the north bank of the 
Merrimac we shall never know. For 
several years prior to the grant by the 
general court in 163S the plantation 
was Known by the name of Merri- 
mac. Mr. Merrill, in his history of 
Amesbury, refers to John Bayley of 
Newbury, who came over from Eng- 
land in the ship Angel Gabriel, Aug- 
ust, 1635, as the first settler, and in 
support cites that by order of the 
court June 6, 1637, the constable at 
Newbury was directed to apprehend 
John Bayley who lived beyond the 
Merrimac. It seems probable, how- 
ever, that a squatter settlement had 
been established for some 3'ears prior 
to this. As early as 1633 in sundry 
charges preferred against Gov. Win- 
throp for exceeding his authority, to- 
gether with other questions, he is 
asked why he has licensed a certain 
person to settle at Merrimac, four 
years before Bayley's time and while 
he ^vas yet living in England. All 
this, however, is not of importance. 



as the date of the birth of the town 
must spring from Sept. 6, 1638, when 
Mr. Bradstreet, Mr. Dudley, Jr., Mr. 
Batter, Mr. Winsley, Capt. Denni- 
son, Mr. Clarke, Mr. Woodbridge, 
Mr. Batte, Henry Bilye, Giles Fir- 
man, Richard Kent and John Saun- 
ders were allowed to begin a planta- 
tion at Merrimac. Of these twelve 
men two only, Samuel Winsley and 
Henry Biley, lived and died in the 
new town. Christopher Batt and 
John Saunders, both prominent in 
town aftairs, soon moved away, Batt 
to Boston in 1651, where he became 
a prominent merchant, and ten years 
later was accidentally shot by his 
son, while Saunders in 1656 moved 
to Wells, Maine. Mr. Bradstreet 
was a son in law of Gov. Dudley, and 
governor of the colony 1680 to 1685 ; 
Thomas Dudley, Jr., son of Gov. 
Dudley; Edmund Batter, a rich 
malster of Salem, very prominent in 
colonial affairs ; Daniel Dennison,an 
original proprietor of Newbury and 
son in law of Gov. Simonds; Dr. 
John Clarke, who owned Clarke's 
farm at Newbury, later a celebrated 
phvsician of Boston ; John Wood- 
bridge, a son in law of Gov. Dudley, 
the first minister of Andover, and 
later returned to England ; Giles Fir- 
man, who later returned to England 
and became an eminent divine. In 
a sermon before parliament he said 
that during a residence of seven years 
in the colony he had never seen an 
intoxicated person. Richard Kent 
was a rich malster of Newbury. 

The plantation was very indefinite 
as to its boundaries, having the Mer- 
rimac on the south, the ocean east, 
while on the north towards Hamp- 
ton no definite bounds were as yet 
established, and to the west was the 
boundless forest. With the absence 
of all roads and bridges the first set- 
tlements w ere always made near to a 
convenient place for water transpor- 
tation. When the first settlers ar- 
rived at Merrimac they probably 
came up town creek and landed on 



the higfh land at what is now called 
the landing below the residence of 
Dr. Spalding. 

The grant of the plantation having 
been made so late in the season it is 
not probable that an actual settle- 
ment of the town was undertaken 
until the spring of 1639, when we 
have record of sixty-eight families 
having received grants of common 
land. As early as June of this year 
the plantation had assumed full 
municipal control when at a tow 
meeting land was divided and grant, 
made to the settlers. During the 
year the name of the town was 
changed to Colchester, only to be 
again changed in 1640 to the present 
name of Salisbury. 

One of the first questions for the 
town to determine was that of its 
boundary line, and as early as 1640 
the line between the town and Hamp- 
ton on the north, also with Haverhill, 
were run out by a committee of 
townsmen. Neither of these lines 
proved satisfactoiy, however, and not 
until 1667 was the line between 
Salisbury and Haverhill settled, when 
the ofeneral coiut ordered a line be- 
ginning at Holts rocks and to run 
N. W. 

Of the Hampton line starting at the 
bound rocks and running to Mi 
Batchelder's farm (near the brick 
schoolhouse) there was much con- 
troversy, and from 1640 until 1657 
there was a constant wrangle, un1.il 
finally in this latter year the Shapk;y 
line was accepted. The bound roclks 
at Hampton river mouth markptl 
A. D., 1657, H. B., is yet to he 
plainly read. From this point the 
line was run to Mr. Batchelder s 
farm, thence to the Hawk's Nest, !so 
called, near the residence of John 
Gills, on the road from Amesbury jto 
Exeter, and so along the northern 
boundary of South Hampton, N. H ., 
and continuing a westerly course ui '- 
til it met the Haverhill line. 

This intersection of the Hamptc'" 
and Haverhill line is at what is no w 



the town of Hampstead, N. H., in 
Angle pond, so called, the two lines 
meeting at an acute angle. This 
territory embraced all of the present 
towns of Salisbury, Amesbury,Merri- 
mac and South Hampton, together 
>vith a portion of Seabrook, Newton, 
Kingston, Plaistow and Hampstead, 
New Hampshire, a tract of land 
iiveraging some five miles in vvidth 
and of an extreme length of fourteen 
aiiles and embracing some fifty 
square miles of land. A town of this 
vast extent must of necessity have 
been the cause of inconvenience to 
the inhabitants who lived in the re- 
mote sections. To attend church, 
■coming from E, Hampstead to yon- 
•der church site, or to attend the 
numerous town meetings must have 
been a serious undertaking, and every 
good citizen was expected to do both 
of these with the most faithful com- 
pliance. Is it any wonder that a 
church was wanted on the west of 
the Powow? And the erection of a 
new town, which was done in i66S, 
and the Powow river as a line, cut 
the territory nearly in two equal por- 
tions. 

Very soon after the settlement of 
the town in 1643 a new county was 
'n>rmed, comprising the towns on the 
iiorth of the Menimac, namely, Salis- 
bury, Haverhill, Hampton, Dover, 
Exeter and Portsmouth. At first the 
county courts were held alternatelv 
at Salisbury and Hampton, but after 
six years it was ordered "That Salis- 
bury shall be the shire town of the 
ilounty," and on the common near 
tiie church was the court house, while 
Rear at hand on the rising ground 
stood the stockade. After an exist- 
ance of fifty years the four northerly 
lowns were taken into New Hamp- 
thire, and Salisbury, Amesbury and 
Haverhill were j )ined to Essex 
("ounty, when the Norfolk county 
ieased to exist. 

I The New Hampshire line has al- 
ways been a bone of contention and 
Pfter many fruitless attempts finally. 



in 1737, the king ordered a line to 
run three miles north of the Merri- 
mac to be the southern boundaiy of 
the state of New Hampshire. The 
commissioner began at Black Rocks 
and measured north three miles and 
then ran a line to conform to the 
general trend of the river. To this 
line New Hampshire objected as 
Black Rocks was not at the mouth of 
the Merrimac but three-fourths of a 
mile to the north ( Belknap, page 
34S). This is of value as showing 
that the north end (jf Plum Island 
down nearly to the hotel was. prior 
to the river breaking through in the 
early days of tliis century, a p.irt of 
Salisbury and over which the town 
may again assume municipal author- 
ity. This new state boundary was 
the cause of much trouble to our 
town, and what is now South Hamp- 
ton and Seabrook were cut oft' from 
our northern border. When having 
shrunk to only one-fourth of our 
original area we were allowed to re- 
main undisturbed for 145 years, when 
in 1SS6 the two villages on either 
bank of the Powow were united, and 
we suffered a new loss of territory, 
until to-day, having lost so largely of 
our area and wealth, we feel that we 
have little left us but the tradition of 
our early days, and to this we shall 
cling, determined that these at least 
shall not be taken from us. 

We find record of 68 original set- 
tlers of whom 10 were honored with 
the title of Mr., but it is not safe to 
assume prior residence by these men 
over others of the times as we often 
find names which show their owners 
to have been contemporaneous with 
the 68 first mentioned by Thomas 
Bradbury, the town clerk of the time. 
To mention all of the early families 
of the town would i-equire a volume 
in itself. As many of them have 
either done valient senice for the 
town or were ancestors of prominent 
families, I shall touch very briefly 
of the more prominent of them. 

Christopher Batt was one of the 



most influential men in the planta- 
tion. His lot, where the railroad 
crosses the road near the landing, 
which he sold to the Buswells in 
1650, ten acres for £52, has 
heen in the Buswell family to 
this day. Batt's hill, near Edmund 
Morrill's, was named in his honor, 
also the land there was divided about 
1700 and called the Batt's hill divis- 
ion. A selectman and deputy dur- 
ing his whole residence here in town. 
Thomas Bradbury lived just south 
of Batt's. One of the best educated 
men in the settlement, being probably 
continuously on the board of select- 
men from the first board, 1639, to 
1691, over fifty years; town clerk 
forty-two years, deputv several terms, 
and captain of the militia. In 1652 
he was chosen schoolmaster at £20 
salaiy, half paid in corn. He died 

1695, leaving £5 for the use of the 
poor of the town, the first record of 
our town having been the recipient 
of a public bequest. His wife, Mary, 
was a daughter of John Perkins of 
Ipswich and who, in her old age, was 
tried for witchcraft and sentenced to 
death, but was later liberated. There 
is little doubt but what this was 
largely the result of malice, as her 
principle accusers were open ene- 
mies of hers. As early as 1649 we 
find mention of the orchard of 
Thomas Bradbury. 

George Carr was originally lo- 
cated north of the landing, but was 
granted the large island in the Mer- 
rimac in 1640 and known as Carr's 
Island, in honor of the early ferry- 
man who had charge of the ferry to 
Newbury for many years. He and 
his son Richard also had control of 
the ferry at Amesburv from 1669 to 

1696, when they sold it to Capt. 
John March for £137. Of his ten 
children William married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Robert Pike, and lived 
for a time at Amesbury. 

Roger Eastman, supposed to be 
the ancestor of all of this name in 
America, born 161 1. Of his ten 



children Nathaniel married a daugh- 
ter of Thomas Bradbury. Philip 
moved to Haverhill and a son. Cap- 
tain Ebenezer, with six boys, were 
of the first settlers of Penacook, 
(Concord) N. H., his team being 
the first to make a track through the 
primeval forests. Sarah married 
vSolomon Shepherd, a prominent 
character of the times. One branch 
of this family at a later date lived at 
"Rabbit corner," ^vhence Ezekiel 
Webster of Salisbury, N. H., came 
to find a wife, who returned with 
him to plant a home in the wilder- 
ness, and where in the log cabin 
wiiich their labor had erected was 
born that grand specimen of man- 
kind, the great Daniel Webster. 

You will pardon me for a slight 
digression. The mother of Daniel 
Webster deserves more than a pass- 
ing notice. Abigail Eastman was 
the daughter of Roger Eastman, the 
great grandson of Roger, the fii'St 
settler, her mother being Jerus'.ja 
Fitts, the daughter of Richard Fitts, 
who married Sarah Thorn. Abigail 
had two brothers younger than her- 
self, Ezekiel and Daniel, and it is 
fair to assume that her boys were 
named for her two brothers living in 
the, old town of Salisbury. 

Samuel Dudley, another of our 
early settlers, who during his brief 
stav in the town shone forth as one 
of her most illustrous citizens. lie 
lived just north of the present church 
site. A son of Gov. Thomas Dud- 
ley, he married Mary, the daughLsr 
of Gov. Winthrop, who died ten 
years later, and is buried in yonder 
cemetery on the road to the beach. 
Later he married May Byley, and in 
1650 he became pastor of the churcih 
at Exeter. As selectman, assesscU' 
and keeper of the Norfolk county 
court he exercised much influence h^^ 
town affairs. 1 

Robert Fitts originally located ijn 
the corner of the Amesbury road an'd 
road to Exeter and is referred to ; s 
"Fitts. hiscorner." He earlv move i 



his family to Ipswich, but later his 
grandson Richard returned to Salis- 
bury and became the progenitor of 
all of the name who have since 
lived in this town. 

Edward French was the ancestor 
of one of our most substantial fami- 
lies. He located on the beach road 
next east of Major Pike's, and the lot 
is in the same family to this day. 
His was the third largest estate in 
town. Selectman for several terms. 

Samuel Hall, frequently select- 
man, directed by the general court 
to care for the chinch council to meet 
there; an outspoken person of strong 
mind. 

Richard Goodale was for many 
vears the hunter hired by the town 
to rid the settlement of wolves and 
foxes. The large swamp on the east 
side of the road to Exeter is known 
as Goodale's swamp. A daughter 
married William Allen, the pioneer. 
A son removed to Boston. In 1664 
the school was kept at young Good- 
ale's house. 

The Clough family, now extinct, 
was for many years prominent in 
town. John was the first of the fam- 
ily. He early lived at the Plainsnear 
the site of the Plains schoolhouse. 
Of his children John married Mercy 
Page, a near neighbor, and lived on 
the place now occupied by the writer. 
Thomas lived on the location of the 
Plains schoolhouse. Most of this 
family emigrated to Xew Hampshire. 

The Morrills have ever been one 
of the most numerous families of the 
town. Abraham and Isaac, brothers, 
came from England 1632, first set- 
tling at Cambridge. Abraham was 
a piominent farmer and blacksmith 
and a heavy tax-payer. His wife was 
Sarah, the daughter of Robert Clem- 
ent of Haverhill. He in 164*1 had 
land granted him where the present 
parsonage is. A year later he with 
Henry Saywood built a grist mill. 
He died in 1662 leaving property to 
the value of £507, new house, fifty- 
seven acres of land, three shares 



grist mill, part of a vessel, smith's 
tools. Of his childien Moses mar- 
ried Rebecca Parnes, Abraham mar- 
ried Sarah, daughter of Wymond 
Bradburv and grandchild of Thomas 
Bradbury and Robert Pike. Isaac, 
another son, probably lived nenr 
Munday hill, and his son Abraham 
located at the Plains on the farm now 
owned by Edmund Morrill and which 
has been in the familv for some 200 
years. 

Plenry Mundav, the richest man 
in town, frequently held town office. 
jVIundav hill is named in his honor, 
also Munday Island in the salt marsh 
near the beach I'oad. 

Richard North, a resident of the 
town holding difierent offices. H*^ 
also rang the meeting house bell in; 
1647-S. He later moved to Salem. 
It was North's daughter Susanna who 
man ied George Martin, and in her 
old age, convicted of being a witch, 
was hung on testimony of a most im- 
probable character. 

Another name unknown to-day 
among us is that of ''Partridge." 
William dwelt where the car house 
now stands. He died prior to 1656, 
as this year his widow married An- 
thony Stonyan, a noted person at 
Hampton. Prominent in Ig^cal af- 
fairs, his sons became even more so 
in later vears. William, Jr., of 
Portsmouth, a mechanical genius, 
treasurer of the province, supplied 
the navy with timber, lieutenant gov- 
ernor 1697, leader of the opposition 
against John Usher and his partv, 
later removed to Newbury. A son 
Richard was agent for the province 
in England. x\ daughter married 
Governor Belcher, ruler of the 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire 
colonies in ,173*^' '''^^ ^^^^ mother of 
Gov. Belcher of Nova Scotia. 

John Gill was early in town \\ hen 
he married Phoebe Buswell. He 
lived at what is since called Gill's 
corner at the Plains. A daughter 
Elizabeth married Marris Tucker. 

Andrew Greeley was a prominent 



8 



man iii the early days of the town. 
He moved to Haverhill, leaving de- 
scendents who ]ia\e kept the name 
iiHve to this day. 

Stephen Flanders was another 
prominent settler whose name has 
been handed down to the present 
generation. 

John Stevens located where to-day 
Samuel Stevens dwells and the home 
of the family for two hundred and 
fiftv vears. Continually in office, he 
was an important man in early days. 
His name is to-day represented in 
this town. 

Samuel Win slay was one of the 
original grantees of the plantation. 
His improved method of the manu- 
facture of salt added greatly to the 
value of this important business, one 
of the leading industries of the day. 
A son Ephriam was school master in 
1673 at £10 salary per annum. 

Robert Ring was granted land at 
Ring's Island m 1642 if he carry on 
the tisliing business, and in 1654 
granted to enjoy the sole right to take 
fish from the Powow river for five 
years. A son Jarvis was a lawyer 
and the first of the profession that 1 
have found in town. 

Richard Wells lived near the bur}- 
ing ground. He was a prominent 
official and deacon of the church, 
probably brother of Thomas Wells 
.of Ipswich, the father of Rev. Thos. 
Wells, third minister of Amesbury, 
^who was born 1647, ordained 1673, 
died 1734. 

Henry True, while not of the 
original settlers, was veiy early at 
Salisbury when he married Israel, a 
sister of Major Robert Pike. After 
his death his widow married Joseph 
Fletcher. Of his children Henry, 
Jr., married Jane, the daughter of 
Thomas Bradbury. He was for 
years the leading militarv man of 
the town. His records testify that 
he was a fine writer and well edu- 
cated. He lived where Mr. P. A. 
True now resides. 

Marris Tucker, another settler in 



town, ancestor of all the Tuckers of 
this section. His first wife was a 
daughter of John Stevens, and second, 
Elizabeth, daughter of John Gill. 
A cooper, he lived on the Plains, 
selling the farm in 1699 to Samuel 
Joy. He made the bricks for the 
parsonage house built in 1693, and 
evidences of the old yard are to be 
seen at this day on the farm which he 
occupied, now owned by Mr. Frank 
Sanborn. 

Another prominent family was the 
Browns. Christian, a widow with 
four sons, were of the first settlers. 
One of the sons, Henry, was very 
prominent in town affairs. He died 
in 1 701, aged 86. Of his children, 
Abraham married Elizabeth Shep- 
herd and lived at the Plains, the 
old farm being yet known as the 
Brown place. A second son, Nathan- 
iel, was a leading military man. 

William Osgood, the youngest of 
three brothers, born 1609. At Salis- 
bury, 1640. Of his children, Eliza- 
beth married Robert Qiiimby, Joanna 
married Robert Jones, Mary married 
Thomas Currier. He is mentioned 
as building a barn for John Spencer 
in 1642 at Newbury; owned land at 
Round hill ; gave half of grist mill to 
son William, other half to grandson^ 
John Osgood. 

Robert Pike, the great commoner, 
came over from England with his 
father, John Pike, and others of the 
family, and early settled at Newbury. 
Robert was of the original settlers of 
Salisbury and in later years his father 
lived here with him. Robert received 
in England a good education. A 
ready writer and debator,he took the 
freeman's oath in 1637 and at once 
assumed the position of a leader in 
the afiairs of the town and province. 
His wife was Sarah Saunders, and he 
had a family of three boys and four 
girls. Always interested in public 
aflfatrs he was early appointed to end 
small cases. In 1647 was lieutenant 
of the militia, and in 164S at the age 
of 32 was elected a member of the 



AndT'^w Greeley-Page R- 
Dii. not receive allott 
PientR of Icincl in the 
first 'livision yet he 
seeras to have been in 
town by 1B40 and was 
witness to a deed in 
1642. 

In 1649 he had ai- 
re ad^r bought of Robert 
^ing his home of nine 
acres situated in the 
squarf} at Salisbury . 
About 1B65 he moved 
to Haverhill and was 
interested in a mill 
there, but he does not 
seem to have ever 
severed his connection 
with tiie town of Salis 
bury as he was owner 
of mi.ich land in the t 
town, and in 1674 gave 
his home in town to h? s 
son Philip. A selectman 
of Salisbury 1^57. 

In 167^ he deposed 
that he was 53 years 
of age and therefore 
born in 1620. 

Of jiis six children 
Philip lived in the 
homestead, Andrew probata 
bly dwelt in that por- 
tion of Salisbivry now 
Seabrook, N.H. and had 
a water grist mill 
which in later genera- 
tions was ov7ned b^^ the 
grandfather of Horace 
Greeley . ( N . Y . Tribune . ) 

His garrison home 
is mentioned 1698-1'702. 

As Andre\7 dv/elt in 
tjiat portion of Salis- 
bury Claimed by New 
Hampshire he was in 
what was called the 



di sput e d t f'.Tr i t ory 
and was liable to 
pay a tax from the 
tovm of H.^unpton as 
well as Salisbury 
and was chosen a con- 
stable of Hampton 1669-r 
A more complete ac- 
count of the genealogy 
of the first and second 
generations of the 
family can be found in 
Hoyt's Old Families of 
Salisbur^^. 

J. Q. Evans. 



legislatvn-e, and two years latei* one 
of the commissioners of Norfolk 
county. In 1652 he denounced the 
law which prohibited any but or- 
dained ministers from preaching,and 
said"that those who voted for the law 
violated their oath of freemen, both 
civil and ecclesiasticpl." The court, 
hearing of these words, arraigned 
Mr. Pike and ordered a penalty of 
twenty marks in money and a total 
inability to hold any public otfice. 
A petition signed by many in the 
vicinity praying that Pike be par- 
doned for his ortence was construed 
by the court as reflecting upon the 
dignity of that bod}-, and only by the 
most humble apology did the signers 
escape the fate to which Pike had 
been subjected. However, five years 
later, the fine having been paid, the 
disability was removed, when the 
town showed their sympathy for Pike 
by electing him a member of that 
same body which had recently inflict- 
ed punishment upon him. The same 
year that Pike returned to the general 
court the prosecution of the Qiiakers 
was begun. Pike at once took an 
active part in this exciting contest 
and defended these persecuted people 
with voice and vote, but he could not 
check the tide of public sentiment. 
His defence of the Qiiakers and his 
able argument against punishing 
witches has been considered the 
grandest eftbrts of a busy life. Ever 
ready to defend the rights of the peo- 
ple in freedom of speech, he opposed 
the narrow methods of the church 
and their intolerance of any but the 
established religion, an intoleration 
characteristic of all creeds and in 
every country. Through the eftbrts of 
Pike and his co-workers, freedom of 
speech has to-day become one of the 
chief institutions of this nation to be 
followed by a religious toleration as 
liberal as could have been desired by 
the great commoner himself. At the 
bi-eaking out of King Philip's war 
Pike was in command of all of the 
troops of Norfolk and Piscataqua 



counties. He continued a magis- 
trate and member of the general 
court to the end of his life, which 
occurred in his 91st year. He lived 
where David Deal now does, on the 
corner near the church. Buried in 
the old ^ard, no stone now marks 
his resting place. 

Plaving traced very briefly and im- 
perfectly the lives of some of the 
prominent settlers,! have been forced 
to pass many names unnoticed, while 
of others who later settled on the 
west of the Powow I make no men- 
tion, leaving this task for others bet- 
ter qualified than myself to do them 
justice. 

Of other names familiar to that 
generation as well as oft-times to that 
of the present day such names as. 
Adams, Allen, Carter, Coflin, Deer- 
ing, Dow, Fellows, Fuller, Eaton, 
Greenleaf, Hubbard, Hunt, Moody, 
Maxfield, March, Page, Sadler,Smith, 
Shepherd, Stockman, Whitcher and 
Worthen have been a tower of 
strength in the community during 
the eight generations which have 
elapsed, and tiiey deserve a more ex- 
tended notice than hasyet been given 
them. I will, however, at this time 
speak of the first four pastors of the 
church at Salisbury, men well fitted 
for their high position, and who did 
much to mould the sentiment of their 
generation. 

Rev. William Worcester was of 
the original settlers and preached 
Christ and salvation to the sturdy 
band of settlers for tsventv-three 
years, until his death, Oct. 28. 1662. 
He had a family of nine children, 
three boys and six girls. He lived 
where the present church now stands. 

The second minister. Rev. John 
Wheelwright, came to Boston in 
1636. Educated at Oxford with 
Cromwell, he always maintained a 
friendship for "The Protector." In 
youth he was remarkable for boldness 
and firmness of mind. Educated for 
the ministry, he accepted the Puritan 
sentiments and soon left for a more 



lO 



congenial field of labor. Having 
while at Qiiincy preached a sermon 
not according to the prevalent belief 
he was adjudged guiltv of sedition 
and banished, and he moved to what 
is now Exeter, N. H. Buying land 
of the Indians, he was the founder of 
that town. When in 1642 Exeter 
became a part of the Massachusetts 
colony Wheelwright was forced to 
move from Exeter and took up his 
residence at W'ells, Elaine,, manv of 
his parish going with him. While 
at Wells, on his request, the banish- 
ment was removed. In 1647 "Wheel- 
wright became pastor of the church 
at Hampton, and there labored until 
1656, when he was discharged, and 
soon made a visit to England, having 
an audience of an hour with Crom- 
well. In 1662 he succeeded to the 
church at Salisbury and had a suc- 
cessful pastorate of fifteen years un- 
til his death, Nov. 15, 1679, aged 8^ 
years. Here in 1675 when Si years 
of age he fell into a controversy with 
Major Pike, accusing Pike of delin- 
quencies towards the church — which 
knowing the man there mav have 
been some ground for the accusa- 
tion — together with lying revelings 
and groundless accusations of his 
pastor. Pike replied by a summons 
for Wheelwright to appear before 
him as magistrate to answer. Wheel- 
wright appealed to the general court 
and finally a committee succeeded in 
bringing about a reconciliation. 
Wheelwright owned land at Exeter. 
Granted right to erect a saw mill at 
Wells, and at Hampton was deeded 
the Bachelder farm. He died of 
appoplexy and lies in the old ceme- 
tery with others of his co-workers of 
that generation. 

After a few years, in i6S3,the Rev. 
James Allen was settled. His father, 
Roger, was one of tUc iii signera. of 
the New Haven compact, deacon, 
legislator and treasurer of the colony. 
James, born 1657. graduated at Har- 
vard in 1679. He. three years later 
was ordained. He married Eliza- 



beth, daughter of Rev. Seaborn Cot= 
,ton of Hampton. His pastorate was 
brief as he died March 3, 1696, and 
his grave is tiiarked by a simple 
stone. 

Following Mr. Allen was the Rev. 
Caleb Cushing who came from Scit- 
uate. Born 1673, ordained 169S. 
He married in 1699 Elizabeth, widow 
of Rev, James Allen. Mr. Cushing 
died Jan. 25, 1752, after a pastorate 
of fifty-six years. 

Such were the men who held the 
care of the church for the first one 
hundred years, and they builded 
strong and well. 

Having treated of the town and its 
subdivisions into new municipalities 
and very briefly described the lead- 
ing fiimilies, I shall trace the growth 
of the town and its leading indus- 
tries. During the \ ears immediately 
succeeding the settlement of the town 
the gain in population and wealth 
must have been rapid. In 1642 
Salisbury's share of the province tax 
was £12, 10 s, out of a total of £800, 
while Salem paid £4^, and Boston 
£120. The manufacture of stav'es 
and other products of the forests was 
their leading occupation, staves be- 
ing especially a leading article of 
commerce. To cut this timber into 
lumber for building purposes as well 
as for a supply for ship building and 
export purposes a saw mill was an 
imperative necessitv,and we find that 
in 1641 a grant of sixtv acres of land 
was made to William Osgood if he 
build a mill for the use of the town. 
Was not this, the first mill in the new 
town, located adjacent to the settle- 
ment, and vvhere more probably than 
on Little River, where it flows down 
into the great meadows ? It is hardly 
probable that Osgood would go so far 
avvav as to the banks of the Powow 
and harness this powerful monster 
while the tranquil stream near at hand 
was ready to do his bidding with no 
large outlay of time or money. Fol- 
lowing close upon the building of a 
saw mill another impoi'tant plant was 



needed, and we have record that 
Abraham Morrill and Henry Say- 
wood built a grist mill near the falls 
on the Powow as early as 1642. 
Concerning this mill I have no defin- 
ite information. In 1650 William 
Osgood is given liberty to use all pine 
trees west of path from John Bayley's 
to Exeter, if he set a saw mill before 
the last of May, 1652. Was not this 
the first saw mill on the Powow, 
soon to be followed by Currier's in 
1656 on the west bank of this turbu- 
lent stream? William Osgood early 
had a grist mill on the river, as in his 
will he gi\es half of mill to grandson, 
John Osgood, but that he built a mill 
there for sawing logs in 1652 theie 
can be no doubt, as Nathan Gould 
testified in 1652, September, that he 
saw the mill at Salisbury. It was 
then built and -going and had gone all 
summer. These several mills with 
others soon to be erected must have 
g.i,yen steady employment to the in- 
habitants who, with clearing up the 
land jeady for the plough, clearing 
ofl'oi I'ocks which we now see in long 
lines of stone wall, every rod of which 
speaks of the toil of our ancestors, 
the building of frame buildings to 
take the place of the first log houses 
' tliat had been built to supply the 
tCiinporary wants of the inhabitants, 
all of these, with road building,hunt- 
ing of wild animals, such as the bear, 
wolf, fox, so harmful to the former's 
stock, left little time for study, and 
as a result we find the following gen- 
erations immediately succeeding the 
first arrivals but indifierently edu- 
cated. Yet, nevertheless, were they 
learning that priceless lesson of 
patriotism and self reliance which in 
a later .-ige ofiered defiance to the 
mother country. Ship building was 
also early undertaken by the settlers 
of the tov.n. George Carr,who lived 
on Carr's Island in 1642 and had 
charge of the ferry during the whole 
of his life time, was probably the first 
to build vessels on the Merrimac, an 
industrv destined to grow to lar<^e 



proportions, when a hundred years 
later both banks of the Merrimac 
were lined with yards where the 
sound of the axe and saw gave con- 
stant testimony of these busy hives 
of industry. Carr's ferry, by the way, 
was at that time the only public con- 
veyance across the Merrimac. 

At hig-h noon on the Merrimac 
The ancient ferryman 
Forgot, at times, his idle oars. 
So fair a treif^ht to ekira. 

And when from off his g-ronnded boat 
He saw them mo\int and ricie, 
God keep her from the evil eye. 
And harm of witch I he cried. 

And along this road passed An- 
drew, the brave lover, with his fair 
freight (whom he had rescued from 
the sherift) to a refuge in a distant 
settlement. 

Already within ten years the ques- 
tion of subsistence had become a 
serious one. vSo many settlers had 
arrived as to draw heavily on the re- 
sources of the country. Thus early 
it had been found that the natural 
fertility of the soil was capable of 
furnishing only three or four crops 
before becoming exhausted, and the 
common practice of manuring with 
fish left the land less fertile than if 
none had been used. I refer to this 
as showing that the occupation of 
farming at that day was one of only 
moderate returns, and like all strictly 
agricultural communities, famine was 
ever to be feared. Here did our fore- 
fathers display a degree of wisdom 
which has in late years redounded to 
their honor. Manufactures and com- 
merce were added to the industries 
of farming and the fishing. These 
four lines of labor have developed a 
nation of magnificent proportions. 

In closing allow me to mention a 
few historic spots and events there- 
with connected. Here around this 
circular road skirting the salt marsh, 
down the road past the depot, and 
continuing until just beyond the pres- 
ent church, were the house lots of the 
first settlers, snugly packed into this 
little settlement, both for mutual pro- 



tection and also I believe in the en- 
deavor of settlinsf the land according 
to the village system so prevalent in 
Europe. Here right on yonder com- 
mon at the corner stood the church 
with the road eight rods vi^ide, whence 
aM the inhabitants rssembled on each 
succeeding Sabbath and lecture day 
to gather words of wisdom. Just 
west of tne church towards the ferry 
stood the court house where for fifty 
years the county courts were held, 
while on the rising ground to the 
north stood the garrison, ready to 
furnish protection against the wily- 
Indians. Down this path to the dock 
passed all the commerce of the town, 
staves and provisions taken in scows 
to the Merriniac,and there transfered 
to the mighty ships of those days. 
Following the ferry road we come to 
Carr's Island. This was the way of 
rapid transit. Here,spanning the way 
to the island in 1655, was Carr's float- 
ing bridge, 270 feet long, costing 
£300. 

About the first question for the 
town to consider was the granting of 
lands to the settlers. The first order 
Avas that there should be two divis- 
ions of land, the one nearer, the other 
further. The nearer 4 acres to each 
j£ioo of property, the other to further 
consideration. This land was given 
out not equally or at the pleasure of 
the person receiving it, but carefully, 
that the interest of the town might 
not suffer harm thereby. The roads 
to Hampton, to Amesbury, to the 
beach and mill were early laid out, 
iind the others as necessity called for 
them. All of these roads were from 
four to eight rods wide originally, but 
with the interval of two hundred 
years they have from some unex- 
plained causes suffered a slow but 
steady encroachment of their bound- 
aries, until ujan\ of them are hardly 
one-half of their former generous 
proportions. Along these roads have 
passed the generations that havepre- 
ceeded us. Along this road came 
the leoislature to their session in the 



first parish meeting house, where 
from Aug. loth until Oct. 20th they 
considered the running of the state 
line. Along this road in 1662 came 
the three Qiiaker women at the cart's 
tail. 

Then on they passt-d in the waning day, LI 

Thruugli Seabronk woods, a weariful way, ■ 

By g^reat salt meadows, and sand hills bare, Tl 
And glimpses of blue sea here and there. 

By the meeting: house in Salisbiu-y town 
The siitteiers stood, in the red sun down 
Bare tai- tlic lash I O pitying? night. 
Drop swift thy curtain and hide the sigrht. 

And here on yonder square was 
the warrant executed, but let honor 
be bestowed to Walter Barefoot who 
took charge of these poor creatures 
and saved them from further punish- 
ment. Along this road came the 
messengers asking assistance to with- 
stand the Indians in their laids, and 
along this road came the troops hur- 
rying to their assistance. A 

Here on yonder square gatheretll 
on each returning muster day the! 
yeomen of the town to be trained iij 
military dutv, and here Major Pikeil 
Capt. Bradbury, Capt. True and'^ 
others directed their evolutions. 

In concluding this rambling paper 
I have not attempted to add much of 
original research, but have endeav- 
ored to bring together into concise 
form a varied amount of material noj 
readily available to the casual reader, 
and if in so doing I have been able 
to start a superstructure for others to 
build upon, as material is from time 
to time becoming available. I shall 
indeed be more than satisfied. 

Thanking you for your kind indul 
gence and trusting that this gather 
ing mav be but the initial meeting ol 
an association formed for historical 
research to include all of the terri 
tory of this ancient town. Can we, 
as we to-day add to the chapter ot 
her history, say with the poet — 

So let it be, in God's own mi<?ht 

We gird us for the coming fight. 

And strong in him whose cause is ours 

In contiict with unholy powers 

We grasp the we-apons he has given,— 

The light and earth and love of Heaven. 



John Q. Evans. 






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